The Dreamcast's high-resolution graphics really outshine both the PSX and the N64 versions. These vehicles are detailed just enough to be graphically impressive without causing frame rate problems. Perhaps simply because these are cars and trucks - which are supposed to be blocky - V8:2's player models look awesome. My biggest complaint about games ported to the Dreamcast has been the blocky player models - see Fighting Force 2 for example. Graphically, Vigilante 8:Second Offense shines. The graphics are pretty darn nice, check out these nifty special effects. Throughout the game characters show their unique personality, and they even have individualized endings. John Torque takes the Shaft-like character and lays out some perfect quotes like "Always bet on black." Despite being ripped straight from Wesley Snipes in Passenger 57, it works for the character and is spoken perfectly. On top of the music, Activision included some of the best voice acting and dialogue since Ghost in the Shell (the movie, not the game). The beats kick so much that a friend who called while I was playing V8:2 asked if I was listening to the Beastie Boys - a high compliment, indeed. Instead of using Village People Disco songs (thank God), Activision threw in some low down dirty funk. You want to make a game with good music? Hook up the funk. The weapons are well balanced so one does not overpower the rest.įunk. All weapons allow you to target an enemy, but only the turret, homing missiles, and mortar auto-aim.
The turret rotates atop your vehicle, allowing you to fire at an enemy driving side-by-side with you. You select an enemy to track with the Y button. One of the unique weapons added to the mix is an automatic targeting turret. There are the obvious homing missiles, mines, and flame-throwers. The weapon pick-ups are some of the best seen in a car-combat game yet. This looks natural with the futuristic cars, but hilarious when a 1970's garbage truck suddenly starts floating around.ĭon't you just hate it when you're blindsided by a Moon Rover while driving through a nuclear power plant? Instantly the wheels will convert into skis, water propellers, or hoverpads from 2017. Any vehicle can pick up a "propulsion" icon tailored to the map. To distance itself from the pack, V8:2 first offers some unique weapon and item pick-ups. In case you haven't figured it out, Vigilante 8:Second Offense borrows heavily from Twisted Metal and Interstate '72. The vehicles are pretty well balanced in terms of abilities and special weapons. Besides the standard motorcycle and eighteen-wheeler, there are RVs, half-tracks, moon rovers, and limousines. Since there are characters from 70's as well as the future, there are vehicles from both eras. By beating the "quest" mode with each character you can unlock nine more for a total of eighteen. You begin the game with nine selectable vehicles. A few good guys from the future follow along, and suddenly you've got eighteen cars battling across the U.S. Clyde travels back to the 70's with a few of his henchman to eliminate the Vigilante's leader. When Clyde realizes that losing to the Vigilante gang in the 1970's ruined his chances of destroying America, he invents a time machine. He amasses a huge army and basically controls every country except the U.S. The story thus far: evil Lord Clyde of OMAR is determined to crush America in 2017. side mounted machine guns? V8's collection of cars aren't exactly factory standard. Power locks, power steering, dual airbags, and. Dividing up their resources for that diverse group of platforms, were they able to create a game that can compare to the Dreamcast's other titles? So we get mediocre 32-bit games such as Fighting Force 2, Shadowman, and WWF Attitude running on a 128-bit system capable of so much more.Īctivision, on the other hand, simultaneously developed Second Offense for the 32-bit Playstation, the 64-bit Nintendo 64, and the 128-bit Dreamcast.
Playstation games brought to the Dreamcast often fail because the companies do not improve them to take advantage of the Dreamcast's power. V8:2 is also the latest DC game ported from the Playstation. Multi-player car-combat finally makes its way to the Dreamcast in the form of Vigilante 8: Second Offense. Killed the acceleration, but I'd like to see some jerk in a Camaro try to pass me." "So I bought this 1974 El Camino, bolted a 16 mm chain-gun to the passenger door and dropped a homing missile launcher in the back. Right about now, the funk soul brother - Review By Subskin PlanetDreamcast | Games | Reviews | Vigilante 8